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I am writing this article as a personal reflection on what I learned about the 'system' during my teen years and continuing through research that I have conducted during my adult life. This article is difficult for me to write. I have never spoken about what happened to me as a teen for fear of repercussions - fear that is not relevant to now, but that remains a remnant of many years ago when I was not heard or believed, but further punished for speaking out. As an adult survivor, I have learned one thing; my childhood/teen experiences are not at all exclusive. Survivors will recognize my story, and others who are just becoming aware of injustices, need to finally listen and help children/teens caught in corrupt systems by speaking out.

Let's review a few terms before starting:

Human Trafficking: "The United Nations defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by improper means (such as force, abduction, fraud, or coercion) for an improper purpose."

"Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation"; or

"An act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm."

Child Protective Services (CPS) Responsibility:

Under the Child Protection Law, the DHS is required to file a petition with the court. MCL 722.628d(1)(e) requires DHS to file a petition if DHS determines that there is evidence of child abuse and neglect and there is a violation, involving the child, of a crime listed or described in MCL 722.628a(1)(b), (c), (d) or (f) or of child abuse in the first or second degree as prescribed in the Michigan Penal Code, MCL 750.136b.

Develop a reasonable and prudent parenting standard for foster parents to make parental decisions to maintain the health and safety of foster youth and also make decisions about the youth’s participation in extracurricular, enrichment, cultural and social activities. Ensure that children in foster care age 14 or older participate in the development of, or revision to, his or her case plan which must describe the foster child’s rights. Provide children aging out of foster care with a birth certificate, a social security card, health insurance information, medical records and a driver’s license or state identification.

Standards for Juvenile Detention Facilities:

The state or local jurisdiction is usually responsible for providing education, recreation, health, assessment, counseling and other intervention services with the intent of maintaining a youth's well-being during his or her stay in custody.[Juvenile Detention Laws. laws.com. 10 October 2011.]

Okay, so the terms are now defined. The laws are in place and have been since the 1950's. So, we can all assume that they are being enforced. We can move through our lives believing 'authorities' and disbelieving teens and children's reports of abuse and trafficking within these systems. After all, children and teens never had a voice until TODAY.

My story:

(read with caution - be in a safe place)

I will begin with the first time that I was taken from my home by CPS. I was about 13 and 'was' being abused. I thought that CPS was 'saving me' from the abuse. I was put into a foster home where I was repeatedly raped by 'workers' there. The home housed some 30 children from the age of 10-16 years old. After several days, I was put in a room with several other 'inmates', drugged and told to undress. We were made to have sex with each other as the 'caretakers' filmed the interaction. Other children, whom had been there longer than I, were terrified to tell anyone or make any attempt to escape and warned me what would happen. Social worker came through and questioned us and to check on how we were doing. No one told. Often, we were taken to other places where the 'workers' accepted money in exchange for us having sex with many men and woman. It wasn't the treatment that was so terrifying, but the fear of what would happen if we told.

One day, I simply walked away without anyone trying to stop me. I went to the police and told them what was happening. They didn't believe me, but instead arrested me for being what they called 'uncontrollable'. I was taken to the juvenile detention center by two police officers. On the way there, we made a quick stop at the nearby river where they raped me for hours, laughing and mocking me for being so stupid.

When we arrived at the juvenile hall, I was told to undress for a strip-search. Three men, who worked at the detention center did the search while the rest of the staff watched. I was then taken to a shower area where I was lathered with soap, told to stand there and wait. The boys from the other side of the center were brought over, lined up and told, to rape me while two of the saff filmed. I was then sprayed with a hose until I passed out. I was then taken to a cell and given one bed out of four in the cell. I spent the night hearing other children crying and screaming.

The detention center housed about 40-50 children - boys and girls - aged 12-17 years old. In time, I came to know most of the girls there. Their stories were not just similar to mine, but identical! Some were runaways and taken from the street to the hall, others taken by CPS from their home. The pain in the eyes of those children haunts me to this day. I began to realize that once 'caught' in this system, there was no escape. Many stopped eating - refusing food. Others did succeed in suicide or died from 'accidents'. Several of the female teens became pregnant - the babies aborted by nearby doctors brought in to the hall during 'medical examinations'.

I caused 'trouble'. I protected the younger children, flooded toilets, and told any adult, who walked through the facility, what was happening. I taught the other children how to keep themselves safe as best I could.

Finally, I had a court date. I was charged and given two years in juvenile hall for my 'crimes'. Realizing that the judge was also corrupt, I wrote to the governor. He actually visited me in juvenile hall. He mocked me and told me that 'throw away kids' have no rights. I attempted suicide and nearly dying, they transported me to the hospital where I escaped and ran for my life. I spent the next two years hiding on the streets in a far away town - safe. When I returned home, I discovered that they had taken my younger sister into custody. She was not as able as me to handle it all and was institutionalized in a mental hospital. When I visited her, I warned her not to talk - not to tell. She didn't listen. She died of 'unknown' causes several months later.

What we experienced was clearly child abuse and human trafficking within a corrupt legal system.

I recently read in the local newspaper of that same town - a girl was found dead at the detention center after attempting to deliver her own baby. I now feel like I abandoned those children/teens. I never told until now. I did put together a video in honor of my sister a few years ago:

Thank you for watching - that is how I felt when 'my' sister was gone.

For the past 45 years, I have watched as CPS, has taken children from homes for no reason - if they even really were CPS. Parents can't get information from CPS, don't know their rights, and their children are just 'gone'. Parents are told lies, children and teens are left to their fate with corrupt systems and NOWHERE to reach out, NO ONE who listens or cares, and if they live, they are damaged beyond human comprehension.

Triggering or not, that is my story - and, how many others have the similar stories? How many survivors/victims are out there - scared to tell, unable to even accept their past, trying to heal from it?

How many advocate groups and caring individuals are out there - knowing this can't go on. We, as a society, can not continue thinking this doesn't happen - it does and has for decades. It HAS to be stopped - NOW. We have to let our children know that they are not alone - society must protect them. For the first time in history, we actually have the means - advocate groups, social media, the media, attorneys willing to give their time to make things better, etc.

one in the very few teens reaching out for help - something that I have never seen before - all by herself. I admire her courage and know the danger she is putting herself in. She needs to be protected and heard. And, now gag orders? - let's get serious - no one put a gag-order on me or anyone else - we can share her story for her. There are links in the article where to follow and help.

If this is ignored, soon, she will be silenced and - her sister - what will happen to her?

She needs to be heard - and, EVERYONE needs to step forward and help. If not for her, for every other child out there in similar situations.

Please - I am reaching out for your help - also. I just want to know that people do care - as much as I do. Okay?

Think - what can you do to help her - a click of a like button, a sharing of her video or the story - if nothing else.

Ok Felicity, I've read here and thank you for writing. I am going to respond and really want to so please know that I will. To do justice I will gather my thoughts and do just that. In the meantime, my heart goes out to these sisters and particularly the one trying to help her twin get some decent help. We are forever reaching out to help those ones who have similar circumstances to the ones we feel we let down. It's a kind of 'knowing' isn't it.

You dear Felicity are truly, as Colin Ross said, one of a handful of people gifted in this area, and by that I believer he meant leader and overcomer. Of course we can all repond by liking the post of this sister, at the very least!

Wow Felicity,What an ordeal (not the right word), what a horrific and violent way you were treated. Human trafficking is on the uprise. I heard that human trafficking victims from other countries get help in the US. Now I'd like to know if this is accurate but I read human trafficking victims in the states do not get that same protection.And Foster care is a joke...

I am so sorry you went through this. I was never removed from my home because my family was rich, white, perfect houses in communities where "that abuse" doesn't happen.What happened to you and too many others was barbaric....

felicity,i am so, so sorry for all your pain. Thank you for telling your story and being a voice for your sister.it is so overwhelming the degree and types of abuses that are rampant...STILL in the United States. it is at epidemic proportions and i just can't believe that it is still going on like this.

Hey, I was shocked when Ivory Garden began getting connected with other nonprofits who do their part - different than what we do (supporting victims and survivors). I learned that, though I spent years raising my kids, going to school, etc. always thinking that I came from an ignorant and horrifying past (when there were few child protective laws), I actually believed that things were getting better for children. I actually became 'part' of the general public, believing that all was fine out there for children and teens.

I had to be knocked over the head a few times to realize how really bad it is now - worse than when I was a child and involved with the juvenile system - if that is even possible. The statistics of kids in juvenile halls, foster care, and trafficking is staggering. And, CPS are 'still' stealing children, selling them? As a society, did we just all fall asleep for 40 years; assume that all teens in trouble are 'delinquents' - deserving of this sort of treatment? What happened? Take a look at a few of the statistics.

Sedlack, A., and McPherson, K. (May 2010). Conditions of Confinement: Findings from the Survey of Youth in Residential Placement. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. wrote:Most detained youth are held in locked “secure” settings such as a juvenile detention facility. Of these youth, 83% are confined by three or more locks during the day (e.g., youth are locked within buildings, within areas within buildings, and within external fences or walls).

Beck, A., Harrison, P., and Guerino, P. (January 2010). Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. wrote:Confined youth are at great risk of sexual assault. More than 1 in 10 youth (12%) in state juvenile facilities and large non-state facilities reported experiencing one or more incidents of sexual victimization by another youth or facility staff in the past 12 months or since admission, if less than 12 months.

The Center for Missing and Exploited Children wrote: says the number of kids reported to them as missing in 2015 were also likely to be sex trafficking victims. And out of those victims, 74% were in foster care.

California Against Slavery Research and Education, 2015 wrote:Statistics from a California organization indicate that between 50 and 80 percent of commercially sexually exploited children in California in 2012 had been involved with the child welfare system

Being able to find statistics is a beginning. Child trafficking was once much like ritual abuse is now - people didn't believe it happens. And.... it happened all the time, BECAUSE society didn't 'want' to believe and thus, gave perpetrators free access to continue without consequence - as well adult attitudes effectively silencing victims.

And, here we are now - with childhood victimization at such epidemic proportions that we often see these corrupt systems involved - protecting their investments - as was happening so long ago.

There is nothing more difficult than being a child/teen victim with no voice - if they are not murdered, they often take their own life. Few survive a life where all they know is abuse, victimization, cold streets, hunger, foster homes, and/or detention.

childviolence.com wrote:Children that have been abused are 50 percent more likely to commit suicide than those who have never encountered this kind of trauma

Parents don't have a clue, unless they have lived this life. Teens rarely go to parents and admit what 'they' have done. Parents would NEVER believe that such things happen.

This is the sad reality - not for every child, but for a high percentage who become involved with social services or just 'the wrong' crowd'.

So, I saw one girl asking for help - and thought that we all 'help' her - awareness. We are adults - and, we all know that when we read that story - and, also the other earlier stories ( the links are in the story that I shared), we can see that something is truly amiss with that whole system. Both these girls are 'in trouble'.

Thanks all for helping by getting this story out to the public. You are the best!!!

Wow Felicity,What an ordeal (not the right word), what a horrific and violent way you were treated. Human trafficking is on the uprise. I heard that human trafficking victims from other countries get help in the US. Now I'd like to know if this is accurate but I read human trafficking victims in the states do not get that same protection.And Foster care is a joke...

I am so sorry you went through this. I was never removed from my home because my family was rich, white, perfect houses in communities where "that abuse" doesn't happen.What happened to you and too many others was barbaric....

I was not 'removed' from the home - my mother called CPS as a punishment. She also called the police many times - if I didn't 'behave'. The 'dad' was fairly wealthy - I would say that culture had little to do with children's fate - at least, in my experience. For teens, parents were often not even aware of how the system worked.

I just read an news report from the area where I was trafficked. It was a story of two young girls who were 'befriended' by a neighbor girl of the same age. This girl lived on the same street. Within a short time, the girls exchanged phone numbers and were invited to a nearby party. When they got there, they were met by adults who hurt them. Within a day, they were on the street - prostituting. A police officer, evidently, spotted them and realized they didn't seem to fit in. He arrested them, but even in that short period of time, the girls would not 'tell' - they were so scared and damaged. They finally did tell what happened. Otherwise, their parents may have never seen them again.

That is how we also got involved, and that news story happened in the same town I grew up in some 40 years ago. Seemingly, victims are often 'recruited' in similar fashions. They still have other victims luring new victims.

Corrupt systems also used 'curfew laws' and petty crimes to get kids locked into the system - even though they did come from non-abusive and/or wealthy homes. Because of 'parents ignorance' about the law - these children become the victims of the system also.

It seems to me that it is as difficult for parents to keep their children safe as it is for non-corrupt systems to keep the parents safe and informed/educated on how to do that. Survivors seem to hold many of the answers.

The story I was relating to about the Odonnell Twins in Michigan seems to have been silenced. The facebook page has been removed now. All involved were given a 'gag' order, from what I read, by the court. The last post that was on the facebook page was to the effect that the twin who is still held in the juvenile facility would receive 'punishment' if she 'refused to eat' or 'purged' anymore. The punishment would be that she would 'not' receive medical attention - as was promised by the court - as well as whatever punishment they deem fit. I can't quote - since the facebook page was taken down.

I know that there are many survivors following this story - and, trying to help these girls. Them just knowing that people care is huge for them - I am sure.

Well, I certainly don't have a 'gag' order on me - I can no longer seem to follow up on this story.

How dangerous is a corrupt-system - like this one in Michigan? In my experience, these girls cannot be 'helped' without first, public awareness - which there seems to be plenty of in that area - but not enough, since they are able to silence the victims without a care of backlash to them. Not one single employee, who has broken 'child' protective laws has been fired in this case - or most other similar cases. They are 'above the law' - as they seem to believe.

Amazingly, it is the 'twin' who escaped that system who has been promoting awareness and looking to the public for 'help'. I don't know if anyone can imagine the courage that takes - and, she doesn't stop - no matter what. This puts her in danger of retaliation by the system that first incarcerated her and her twin. Survivors understand this also. That's why many remain silent - knowing what can happen if they 'tell' - meaning, making their story public. Most wait years before even remembering - then, knowing that telling at the time it was happening would have been scary and dangerous, but also most effective to help themselves and others. It is also a time when survivors feel most alone, believing that no one out there cares - that anything they do just brings more punishment from corrupt courts, etc. The system 'becomes' the abuser - creating the scenario that all teens are 'throwaway kids' - guilty - 'bad' - etc.

The twins' story and mine, I hope, help us all realize that 'heros' are 'real' - from a child trying to save her twin to any of the 48 million survivors (in the US alone) who step forward and speak out for those who have no voice.

Check this out - and, see that this is one example of how much survivors can do to change the system slowly - (I love this video) -

Watch the end as survivors walk out of the house - just their presence makes a statement to officials - who are going to have to 'sooner or later' DO something to stop this sort of institutional abuse.

As someone who wants to foster and adopt kids in a few years, it's so horrific to imagine what kind of people would look at these vulnerable kids and hurt them. Kids who get lost in the system, without a home, without a family, just ab*se... they deserve love and happiness. None of the awful treatment they get.

I can relate to a lot of your story. I never had to deal with CPS or foster care, but my uncle got me involved with a group that both created child pornography and "rented" us kids out to adults who wanted us for sex. I know how it feels to be seen as a "product" for consumption instead of a human being. Back then, they had to take real paper pictures and use real film for the movies. When I think about how much easier it is for child pornographers nowadays with digital photography and the internet, I'm scared to death for the children being perpetrated against.

It is strange how I, as a survivor, have such compassion for these children - and, adults being used and abused. For myself, I have a clear understanding of how the whole thing works.

Victims are seen as 'products' - and, I also see myself as a 'product' - most of the time. I got myself in those situations - so, I came to believe. I survived by doing whatever it took - which meant going along with the system in order to stay alive. I became a slave - and, as long as I hide their secrets, I remain so. I have no compassion for myself.

I know the abusers - as well. They want what they want and get it by whatever means they can. They have no sense of compassion, consequences, boundaries, morals - none. They care about themselves, and put victims in situations where they have to do what it takes to stay alive. Abusers are selfish, greedy, brutal, stupid, and frankly - slaves to their own desires. Those who protect them and their activities are worse than slaves - they profit monetarily while thinking they are any better than the actual abusers - they are worse. Intelligent and calculating, they create a system where victims lose - no matter where they turn, no matter how young. They are the murderers of lives that 'could have been'. They trick the everyday public into believing our children are safe, that victims' are liars, that survivors are mentally ill -

That is the world that we live in - though many are lucky enough to never know about 'that' world.

I watch the video and cry, but wonder why. It is okay for me, but I can't stand to know that any child or adult out there will ever have to endure what I did - even though I can't have compassion for me. I want to 'warn' - to make it stop somewhere - somehow - by opening people's eyes - make them see - hear us. But, they don't - how can they believe us - it is beyond any horror movie ever made. They simply can't comprehend -

We raised some 20 foster children - took them off the streets - 'throw away kids' - all abused within the system and at home. They are doing great now. We loved having them in our house. We were never paid, our own children were kind, supportive, and generous. It was an amazing experience.

Don't ever give up on that idea. It is something that we can all do - if we have the finances - I was lucky in that sense. At that time, we did have the finances - I think it was meant to be - that we spent most of our life caring for kids who needed a break.

There are really no answers - we can each do what we can and hope the statistics lower, but each and every child and adult victim is important. We, as survivors, know that, because we know how alone we felt - as a number - we become one in millions - a literal grain of salt - one more validation that we didn't matter. How very sad. The most difficult part of accepting our own abuse - we were so alone - for so long. ...

Someone needs to do something to help these twins. They are being abused - what the heck is going on here. Looks like a classic case of attempt to traffic them - twins. They are moving them to Boy's Town - okay - They need an attorney - someone help these girls, please.﻿